Scientist Melissa Casias, 53, mysteriously disappeared after failing to turn up for work - and her 'skeletonised' body was found months later by a hiker despite an 'extensive' police search10:24, 04 Jun 2026Harrowing new details have emerged about a female scientist whose skeletal remains were found in a forest just under a year after she went missing.Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old administrative assistant employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, disappeared in June 2025 after unexpectedly returning home from work, sparking months of frantic searching amid desperate pleas from her family for police to do more.On May 28 this year, a hiker discovered a "skeletonised" body next to a handgun in the McGaffy Ridge area of Carson National Forest - with the skull appearing to show signs of a gunshot injury. The remains were later identified as those of Melissa Casias.In a statement confirming the body as Ms Casias', New Mexico State Police said the "cause and manner of death have not yet been determined" and that the remains will "undergo further anthropological examination" by medical investigators.But the discovery has sparked fears she could have been murdered after her daughter, Sierra, reportedly insisted that her mum "did not own" a weapon. Authorities have not yet confirmed who the gun belonged to, with detectives expected to use serial number tracing, ballistics, and potential forensic evidence to determine how it ended up at the scene.Thomas McNally, a former FBI homicide detective investigating Casias’ disappearance on behalf of the family, told The Daily Mail that the mum-of-one’s "skeletonised" corpse was propped up against a tree, with an abandoned gun lying nearby.He also claimed that Casias’ body showed no signs of animal activity or disturbance - despite being left to decompose in the forest, which is populated by black bears, coyotes and cougars.Melissa's family said in an update on Facebook over the weekend: "There will be more information to come but what we can tell you now is she was located in an area previously searched. This is a lot to process, our hearts are heavy and we fully intend to continue to pursue answers for justice."In a TV interview shortly after her mother's mysterious disappearance last year, Sierra recalled her mother unexpectedly returning to their Ranchos de Taos home around 7.45am on the day she vanished, claiming she had forgotten her badge - though her husband, Mark, said she had already used it to get him into the laboratory she worked in earlier that morning.She is then said to have spent the next few hours working at home, before visiting Sierra at her workplace at around 12.50pm to give her a sandwich for lunch.There, they spoke for what would turn out to be the last time, with Sierra recalling that her mum's behaviour "wasn't out of the ordinary" but she "may have been a little more quiet" than usual.When Melissa failed to return home that evening, the family car was found parked in the driveway, with a purse, cash, and official identification left inside the house.Investigators found her mobile phones and cloud data had been completely wiped and reset to factory settings.Article continues belowSearch and rescue operations that followed involved ground teams, K9 units, and drones, but no traces were found until the discovery by the hiker last month.